Chapter 14

"Haa, haa."

The chief clutched his chest and took deep breaths. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you want something, you have to pay a price for it. And right now, Greyson Miller was the price they had to pay.

Just endure for one year.

He reminded himself again. A year would pass quickly. If they could just grit their teeth and bear it, Greyson Miller would disappear. The problem was that this nightmare was only beginning.

The chief headed to his office with dragging steps, dreading the bleak future. And so, as the sun set amid these ominous circumstances, the welcome party that the chief had worked hard to prepare finally began.

* * *

They gathered quite early at the bar they usually visited whenever there was something to celebrate at the fire station. By the time the chief had specified, some employees were already visibly tipsy. Shouts and laughter from drunk people erupted here and there.

"Welcome, Chief."

"You're here, we started drinking already."

As the chief appeared at the entrance, employees who had arrived earlier greeted him one by one. The chief nodded and returned brief greetings while discreetly taking count of attendance.

"Miller? Not here yet?"

When he looked for today's guest of honor who wasn't visible, a man leaning against the bar table drinking beer answered.

"No, not yet. Hope he doesn't show up at all."

"Puhahaha!"

An employee nearby burst into laughter at the indifferent addition. Though he wanted to ask what was so funny, arguing with someone already drunk would just be a waste of time. The chief quietly took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Drinking usually improves the atmosphere between people. He hoped everyone would get along well and forget about the day's events.

Though they'd probably go back to normal once they sobered up.

Haa, just as he let out another deep sigh about the bleak future ahead.

"He's here."

Someone spoke, and suddenly the air in the room changed. The employees who had been laughing and chatting gradually fell silent, and a cool tension spread. All that could be heard was the loud music playing from the owner's speakers. The cause was, as expected, Greyson Miller entering the bar.

He wore a simple outfit of a shirt and jacket. Of course, compared to the other men all wearing shabby t-shirts and worn jeans, he was incredibly well-dressed. Wearing a cream-colored jacket and cotton pants with three buttons of his shirt undone, he looked quite relaxed. His unhurried yet unrushed gait resembled that of a large feline. Even amid stares full of hostility and discomfort, he walked across the bar as if completely unbothered.

Where did that shamelessness come from?

The people in the bar watched him in disbelief. Normal people would have fled, unable to endure such an atmosphere. Greyson Miller was the opposite. Perhaps he was thinking, 'What can you possibly do about it?' Of course, that was true, but they couldn't help feeling sick to their stomachs.

Greyson Miller approached the counter in the middle of the bar at a pace neither fast nor slow. Everyone in the bar openly turned their heads to glare at his trajectory as he moved.

Get out! Get out! Intense hostility flowed through the silent bar, almost impossible to mistake. However, Greyson didn't even seem to notice, as if used to this too. Both goodwill and hostility were things he had experienced more than enough of in his life.

"Good evening, Chief. It's a lovely night."

Greyson first greeted the chief with a smile spread across his face. Though it was an unmistakably bright smile to anyone looking, it rather sent chills down the chief's spine. Trying not to let his feelings show, he nodded as if nothing was wrong.

"Welcome, everyone's been waiting."

When he returned the neutral greeting, Greyson came to his side as if he had been waiting and said.

"Thank you for throwing this party. I'm very touched."

Everyone watched with strange looks as Greyson placed one hand on his chest and made a literally 'touched' expression. Despite all the attention focused on him, his interest was concentrated on just one thing. The chief broke out in a cold sweat, feeling indescribably uncomfortable.

"Well, if you do well from now on..."

"Is everyone here now?"

Everyone's expressions twisted again as he cut off the chief's words before he could finish and looked around. What the hell? This guy. As similar emotions and thoughts passed between them, the chief also looked at Greyson in bewilderment.

"Ah... probably? We don't check attendance one by one..."

"So more people might come, I see."

Greyson, who had cut off the words again, looked around the room. More precisely, he examined each face in the bar one by one. Those who had been glaring at him would either flinch and look away when their eyes met with Greyson's, or glare back harder, not wanting to lose. Though it looked like a kind of provocation to them, as if saying 'bring it on,' Greyson's actual purpose was different. The chief blinked in confusion at his behavior before finally coming to his senses and speaking to the bartender.

"Here, could we get a beer for Miller too? What's everyone having? Let's all make a toast. Welcome, Miller."

"Thank you. I'm truly happy to receive such a welcome."

When the chief raised his glass first, everyone reluctantly raised theirs as if toasting. Greyson made a moved expression as if he were accepting an Oscar, and made a toast in the air, turning in different directions.

"Come on everyone, drink up. You there, continue your pool game. Yes."

The chief gestured toward the employees, trying somehow to smooth over the uncomfortable atmosphere. The employees who had been watching Greyson with deeply furrowed brows reluctantly looked away and returned to what they had been doing. After the attention had somewhat dispersed, the chief sighed and emptied his glass. The uncomfortable atmosphere still continued. Because of Greyson right beside him. Though he tried to pretend not to notice, the chief finally couldn't stand it and spoke first.

"It's admirable that you decided to become a firefighter. What made you think of it?"

Though he thought it was an ordinary question, Greyson's eyes suddenly lit up at those words. The chief, who had unconsciously flinched and hunched his shoulders, heard Greyson's voice brighten.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Looking for someone? Among our team members?"

Though reluctant, the chief had to ask at this unexpected answer. Greyson continued with a "Yes."

"I'm looking for someone who saved me before. I want to thank them."

"No, that's... you could have just asked, rather than going so far as to get a job..."

The chief trailed off, hiding his true thoughts of 'and mess up our team like this.' Though he had been cutting off words so readily before, now seeing Greyson's clean-cut face listening intently while deliberately smiling, the chief's insides boiled. Instead of letting out a sigh, he gulped down his beer and spoke again.

"Well, what happened? Tell me, I'll help you find who it was."

Thinking it was better to resolve annoying matters quickly, the chief waved his hand like a fan and urged him on. Greyson answered, still not losing his smile.

"Thank you. There should be firefighters who responded when there was a fire at Mendez's party a few days ago."

"Mendez? ...Ah, that pheromone party?"

"That's right."

There had been quite a commotion that day. Of course, all fires are tragic and a once-in-a-lifetime disaster for the victims, but the sight of victims running out completely naked, crying and snotting while drunk and high on smoke, was something even he rarely saw. Moreover, though they were keeping it quiet, those twins who had acted like lunatics...

As the chief was lost in thought, Greyson added explanation.

"I don't mean everyone. There was a firefighter who came to where I was and saved me, and I'd like to find them."